By: Austin Boynes
Photos: Jahmir Dunbar
PHILADELPHIA- After a dominant 3-0 start for the Penn State Nittany Lions beating all opponents by at least three possessions up to this point, they arrived at Xfinity Mobile Arena this past weekend for the Autumn Invitational to take on a 2-1 La Salle Explorers team looking to avenge a blowout loss to the Temple Owls on Tuesday Nov. 11.
La Salle got hit with the turnover bug early which allowed Penn State to go off and running with points off turnovers and fast break turnovers. A late push by the Explorers was not enough as guard Melih Tunca had himself a game with 20 points on only nine field goal attempts to go along with two rebounds and four assists in an 83-69 blowout win for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State vs. La Salle - PSD Photos by Jahmir Dunbar
”Anytime we get to Philly, it’s always an honor and we really appreciate the opportunity,” Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades said. “I’m really proud of our guys, a lot of guys contributing, we got a long way to go but anytime you can come to Philly and get a win, you have to appreciate it.”
Even though the Nittany Lions were able to force five early turnovers, the Explorers found ways to stay in the game early in the first half as forward Jerome Brewer Jr. got himself four points and four rebounds to keep his side in it.
Penn State forward Ivan Juric got himself four points and helped to spread the ball around with two assists. Not capitalizing off of turnovers saw Penn State trail 12-11 going into a media timeout.
The Nittany Lions began to pull away out of the timeout thanks to a 16-0 run that saw five different players score as they shot seven for eight from the field, two of two from three and even caused two more turnovers as Penn State jumped out to a commanding 27-12 lead.
“We came out, had too many turnovers. I think nine turnovers to start the first half and they (PSU) went on a 20-0 run, so we have to clean up the turnovers,” La Salle head coach Darris Nichols said. “To pile up on the regular turnovers, we had a lot of shooting turnovers, so I thought those were a difference in the game.”
The Explorers began getting points on the board but were unable to stop this efficient Nittany Lions offense led by Tunca and guard Freddie Dilione V, who scored seven points, two rebounds and an assist to help his side maintain the commanding lead as it grew to 42-29 as the game hit halftime. Jaeden Marshall led La Salle with nine points and three assists at the break as Brewer crashed the glass and led both sides in rebounds with six.
Penn State used an efficient 55 percent scoring to generate most of their offense and added in 66 percent shooting from behind the arc to extend the distance. The Nittany Lions grabbed only two more rebounds as they collected 17. Dominick Stewart led Penn State with seven points off the bench and added in two rebounds and one assist.
”You’re the hardest to guard when the ball is hot, sometimes you give up a good shot for a great shot for your teammate and vice versa,” Rhoades said. “That’s really important, we don’t turn the ball over much, we only had seven today and we shared the basketball, good things are going to happen.”
Even with their turnover issue in the first half, La Salle stuck around with seven second chance points and were able to hold their own in the rebounding department.
The trends from both sides continued as the second half kicked off, as the Explorers already had three turnovers and the Nittany Lions made them pay with 16 points off those turnovers. Penn State could not miss, as they shot 8-11, increasing their lead 59-42. The Penn State offensive train was still rolling and then the threes began to fall again, as two in a row by Dilione V and Tunca put the Nittany Lions up 70-49, which forced a La Salle timeout.
“If people are in your way, you go over them, around them, or through them and that’s just our mentality,” Rhoades said. “We want to be hunters, not the hunted.”
The Nittany Lions committed nine fouls that allowed the Explorers to stay in the game, and La Salle made them pay from the free-throw line as they hit seven of eight from the line to cut the lead to 77-61. The Explorers could not get it done offensively down the stretch, as Penn State was able to pull away even more on the way to a commanding 83-69 win.
PSU's Freddie Dilione soars for a dunk - PSD Video by Austin Boynes
PSU's Kayden Mingo gets a lay-up - PSD Video by Austin Boynes
La Salle's Jerome Brewer Jr. fights his way to the basket - PSD Video by Austin Boynes
La Salle's Josiah Harris drives to the basket - PSD Video by Austin Boynes
Despite the loss, the Explorers were elated to have the experience to play in the home of the Philadelphia 76ers.
”I think the guys are excited, one of my players asked me, ‘Coach how many NBA arenas have you played in,’” Nichols said. “This is a big deal to them, because that’s eventually where they want to go and play. They see it on TV and then they get to experience it, so I think it’s really positive for those guys.
Upon returning back to Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions hosted Harvard on Nov. 19, extending their record to 5-0 with an 84-80 victory. La Salle remained unlucky, falling to cross-town rival Villanova 70-55 in Big 5 play. Penn State will play Providence in the Hall-of-Fame showcase in Uncasville, CT on Saturday at 4 p.m. The game will be aired on TruTV. La Salle will host Lancaster Bible on Saturday at 5 p.m. looking to obtain its third win of the season.